Stateline Northern Territory

Mulga Snake

MARGIE SMITHURST - PRESENTER: It's number two on the list of the world's 10 most deadly snakes, and produces more venom per bite than any other snake.But the King Brown, or Mulga snake, has proven powerless against the cane toad. It's now feared the Territory icon will be totally wiped out.The plight of the reptile has drawn little attention, but as Laetitia Lemke reports, one snake wrangler has taken up the Mulga's cause.

LAETITIA LEMKE - REPORTER: This is the deadly King Brown or Mulga snake.It's hard to imagine such a dangerous reptile as vulnerable. But these snakes are under serious threat and cane toads are to blame. Snake wrangler Chris Peberdy says King Brown populations have been in rapid decline since the Top End toad invasion in 2000.

CHRIS PEBERDY - SNAKE WRANGLER: We look at the quolls and all these furry animals - people want to know and are concerned about that side of the toad impact but the conservation impact on a venomous snake that could kill you, people aren't real concerned about it. People probably see it as a good thing, which is sad. The big King Brown is a Territory icon.

LAETITIA LEMKE: Chris Peberdy rescues around 1500 snakes a year from inside people's toilets, roofs and cars.He says eight years ago he was collecting 20 King Browns a year, but in 2007 he collected just one.

CHRIS PEBERDY: People really need to acknowledge that these animals have a really big predator against them. You know, they bite these cane toads - it excretes a buffo toxin which kills the King Brown almost instantly. They don't even have the chance to ingest it, like fully swallow it.

LAETITIA LEMKE: Top End wetlands like this are a haven for wildlife, big and small. At Fog Dam, crocodiles once lived side by side with King Browns. But thanks to the cane toad, the snake species has almost been wiped out.

IAN MORRIS: FROGWATCH CO-ORDINATOR - They're a vital part of the whole system and they tend to control things like rodents. Along with the water pythons here, the King Browns put a lot of those away and tend to keep the caps on those populations. And also they eat other reptiles as well, so they've got a pretty vital role in balancing everything.

LAETITIA LEMKE: Frogwatch co-ordinator Ian Morris admits toads have invaded almost every corner of the Territory's Top End and attention is now focused on saving the Kimberly, over the border in WA. He says Territory environmentalists are only just starting to come to terms with the devastation the toads have left behind.

IAN MORRIS: Of all our fauna that's struggling with this new toad invasion, I think King Brown's are the species that seem to be affected most. We are just not seeing them at all.

LAETITIA LEMKE: The drop in King Brown numbers is a big worry for experts at the Australian Reptile Park near Gosford on the NSW central coast. It's the only place in Australia that milks snakes for the production of anti-venom to save the lives of bite victims.

CRAIG ADAMS - AUSTRALIAN REPTIL PARK (GOSFORD): The Top End King Browns are a vital component in our venom program. They're a particularly large growing species, they're the largest of the King Browns, and their venom has tremendous results with the CSL in the production of anti-venom. They produce a high amount of venom, and it's very very effective in making the appropriate anti-venom.

LAETITIA LEMKE: The park relies heavily on catching wild snakes for milking, but the reptiles are getting harder to come by thanks to the cane toad. Captive breeding is a solution, but so far attempts have failed.

CRAIG ADAMS: They are a unique snake and not all snakes lend themself to captive breeding. So it's a matter of really getting into the soul of the animal and trying to pick those locks and figure out just what works, but we're very hopeful that we will have some success down the track and that's gonna depend to a degree on procuring some good stock from the Top End.

PROFESSOR BART CURRIE - Manzies School of Health: Most of these snakes have bitten various patients over the years, over the last 19 years...

LAETITIA LEMKE: Back in Darwin, researchers at the Menzies School of Health have been looking at patterns of snake bites over almost two decades.

PROFESSOR BART CURRIE: That's a massive snake that was basically too big for him to carry so he basically chopped the snake's head off and brought it.

LAETITIA LEMKE: Professor Bart Currie says in the past 19 years, 25 people have been bitten by King Brown or Mulga snakes. But the rate of bites is falling as the toads slash snake numbers.

PROFESSOR BART CURRIE: Interestingly our last Mulga snake bite here at Royal Darwin Hospital was in December 2006, so it's now 18 months since we've seen a Mulga snake bite at the hospital.

LAETITIA LEMKE: You might think fewer snake bites is good news, but scientists are worried the toads are upsetting the natural balance between different species of snakes.

PROFESSOR BART CURRIE: This is a little Secretive snake that's ingested a cane toad and died instantaneously. It's obviously a juvenile cane toad butwith enough venom to kill that snake.

LAETITIA LEMKE: Professor Currie is worried the drop in King Brown numbers could have dangerous consequences. He fears an increase in the number of Taipans, which are much more deadly and don't eat cane toads. That's what happpened in Queensland and he says it could be repeated in the Territory.

PROFESSOR BART CURRIE: It may be potentially that the Taipans with their selective advantage may become an issue for us in relation to people being bitten out in the remote areas. And the thing about Taipans is they're the most venomous and potentially dangerous of all of the nasty Australian snakes.

LAETITIA LEMKE: Chris Peberdy is hoping to avoid that scenario. He wants the public to help him save the few Top End King Browns still left in the wild.

CHRIS PEBERDY: If you see one of these animals, don't kill it, don't run it over - don't muck with it because you'll get bitten and you'll end up in hospital - but to have that step back and admire them and you know give them that chance because the odds are stacked against them.